


Sucked In

by Music



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-09
Updated: 2013-02-10
Packaged: 2017-11-24 06:42:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/631555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Music/pseuds/Music
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So the missing founding family has returned to Mystic Falls. Or at least everyone is so sure of it but Kenzie has her doubts, it's just a little too coincidental to her, even if she does have a family ring that has caught the attention of quite a few people in town. It's time to discover where her family is really from, if she could possibly have ancestors of the vampire persuasion and what this all means for her. Truthfully, she'd rather just move back to California because everyone is too nice, far too nice and Kenzie doesn't do nice so even though she can't stand Damon Salvatore, he seems to be the only one who gets her and he finds her and the fact that she doesn't fear death, intriguing. So it's up to him to learn her story, right?<br/>Starts the end of Season 1and the beginning of the facebook game for anyone playing that, hence the OC.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> so... my first TVD story, and i JUST got my invite here so obviously, my 1st story, needless to say I'm a little nervous so please be kind when you let me know what you think. I mean, if you hate it, go ahead and snot like it but constructive criticism works bests in how think i should improve, other then that, I hope people do like it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the OC, no money is being made... this is only for entertainment purposes

**Prologue**

 

It was foggy, so foggy she could barely see more than a few feet around her but what bugged her the most was she couldn’t remember how she had gotten there in the first place. Last she remembered, she had gone to sleep in her own bed but now she was in some forest, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

She gasped and spun around to see another girl there about her age, tall, slim, long dark brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a black and blue tank top dress and didn’t seem at all weirded out about them being in the middle of a fog filled forest.

 

“Sorry to bother you but I think I lost my ring around here, can you help me find it please?” The girl continued.

 

She opened her mouth to demand to know what was going on but instead found herself agreeing to help instead. Silently the two girls worked side by side until her hand finally grasped a small circular metal object and she held it up for the other girl to see.

 

“Thank you so much.” The girl cried. “My name is Elena Gilbert, are you new here?”

 

She nodded. “Yes, I just moved here with my father. But what are we-” she stopped hearing a noise behind her and she glanced back, seeing nothing there. She turned back to Elena, only to find the other girl gone and she frowned, turning in circles as she tried to figure out a way out of there. Elena had left her alone and had forgotten her ring.

 

“Why did you come here alone? Don’t you know this can be a very scary place?”

 

She jumped and spun around once more her eyes wide as she stared at the new mysterious stranger who had crept up on her. He was impeccably dressed, his black hair framing his face and light blue eyes perfectly. She frowned, wondering when he had appeared.

 

“I had no choice, my dad wanted to move here.”

 

“People always have a choice.”

 

She raised an eyebrow. “Not if you’re a minor and have to go where your father moves to. What’s your name?”

 

He smirked at here. “How rude of me. Name’s Damon Salvatore, pleasure’s all yours I’m sure. I’ll be on my way but may I suggest sticking to better lit parts of town?”

 

“Like I want to be here?” She snapped.

 

His smirk grew. “You know, you are making it very hard to be nice to you.”

 

“I never asked you to.” She turned away with a scowl, letting out a small eep of surprise to see him standing in front of her. “How did you…?”

 

“You should learn to be nicer.”

 

His eyes and voice chilled her to the bone and she backed away before turning and running to get away from this mysterious man. Her foot hit a root and she stumbled, throwing her hands out to catch her fall. She closed her eyes, letting out a loud oof as she hit the ground.

When she opened her eyes, she was on the floor of her bedroom and she took a few deep breaths to calm herself before she pushed herself into a sitting position. She frowned, noticing something in her hand and unclenched her fist finding a silver ring in her hand with a blue stone in the middle. It was her ring, the one her dad had given her two years ago for her 16th birthday, claiming it was a family heirloom. She very rarely wore it, in fact she was positive she had lost it over a year ago and now here it was in the palm of her hand and how it gotten there, she had no clue.

 

First night in her new house and she was already having weird dreams and weird things happen to her.

 

She hated this place.

 

… … …


	2. new kid in town

New Kid in Town

_There's talk on the street_   
_It sounds so familiar_   
_Great expectations_   
_Everybody's watching you_

... ... ...

Mackenzie Miller flipped her red hair back as she lifted her chin and walked into her new high school in Mystic Falls. She was the new girl, transferring in her junior year and she hated it. Why Mystic Falls of all places? She much more enjoyed living in California, there was sun, cheerleading, her friends and a boyfriend. Now she was in Mystic Falls because her Dad's job transferred him and he uprooted their whole lives. Lame.

She walked into the office to get her welcome package as well as her class schedule and locker assignment. With a strained smile at the overly chatty secretary, she turned and left mid-sentence, not noticing the put out look on her face. If she did, she really wouldn't have cared though, Mackenzie wasn't exactly a "nice" girl. She was the stereotypical popular cheerleader, who cared only for herself and her status in the high school food chain. She wasn't necessarily a bad girl, just sheltered, unaware of the world around her, more concerned with her looks and her boyfriend of the month and making sure her friends weren't about to stab her in the back. Ah, cheerleader hierarchy at her old school was fickle, everyone always looking for a way to the top, even if that included stabbing your best friend in the back.

But she sure did miss it.

"Hey, you must be new here. I'm Elena Gilbert."

Mackenzie turned to the voice, resisting the urge to frown at this girl with the long dark hair and dark eyes. She looked so familiar but how, she didn't know. She had just arrived in town yesterday and hadn't had a chance to check out the town yet.

"Hi, Mackenzie Miller, or Kenzie, either works. And yes, totally new, so it's nice to meet you."

"Welcome to Mystic Falls, how do you like it so far?" Elena asked her.

Mackenzie gave a small shrug. "I got here yesterday so haven't really had a chance to do much. I miss my friends."

"I'm sorry to hear that but I promise, everyone here is super nice and if you ever need anything, just let me know."

The redhead smiled. "Thanks, really but I need to know how to get to my History class with-" She glanced down at the paper in her hands. "-Mr. Saltzman. Can you point me in the right direction?"

Elena grinned at her. "I'll do you one better, I'll show you, I'm heading there myself."

Mackenzie fell in step beside the other girl, trying to memorize the way there for future reference.

"So where did you move from?" Elena asked.

"LA. My dad got transferred."

"Oh that must be so hard." Elena sympathized. "How's the rest of your family taking it?"

Mackenzie shrugged. "it's just us, so really, it's just me hating it, he thinks it might be a wonderful opportunity, personally, I think he just hated my latest boyfriend."

She laughed. "I'm sure you'll like it soon, just give it some time."

The new girl shrugged as she followed Elena into the classroom and up to the teacher's desk.

"Ric, I mean, Mr. Saltzman, this is Mackenzie Miller."

The teacher was cute in an older guy kind of way and Mackenzie turned on her biggest flirtatious smile as he greeted her then turned to the class to introduce her. He instructed her to take a seat beside Elena and announced a pop quiz. Mackenzie glanced uncertainly at Elena who rolled her eyes good naturedly.

"Don't worry about it." She whispered. "He does this all the time to make sure we were paying attention. He won't expect you to know everything."

"According to Mystic Falls folklore, what item is used to weaken vampires?" Mr. Saltzman was asking.

Mackenzie turned to Elena, really confused now. "Vampires?" She mouthed.

The other girl shrugged as a boy behind her raised his hand. "Vervain."

"Correct." The teacher replied. "Mystic Falls was founded what year?"

"That's Stefan." Elena whispered to her. "That's my boyfriend."

Mackenzie glanced at him again as he waved at her with a small smile, she returned it as Elena lifted her hand.

"1860." She replied.

"And how many civilian casualties were recorded in the Battle of Willow Creek?"

Mackenzie stared dumbly at him. She didn't have the first clue about Mystic Falls, she was a California girl.

"75?" Someone in the back of the room guessed.

"Wrong. There were zero civilian casualties but 346 soldiers were killed.

"What is this battle of Willow Creek?" she muttered to Elena

"That's wrong sir, there were actually 27 civilian casualties when the confederate soldiers set fire to Fell's church, it was a night of great loss."

Everyone turned to look at Stefan who shrugged at the attention.

"This isn't in any of the war records." The Teacher pointed out.

"It was in my family's journal." Stefan replied.

"Right, you are a founding family." He turned to Mackenzie. "We have a lot of founding family members here which include the Salvatore's, the Gilbert's, the Fell's, the Forbes', and the Lockwoods."

"And the Miller's." Stefan quietly said.

Mackenzie turned to him with a grin. "What is this, prank the new girl?"

Stefan shook his head. "I just remembered them being mentioned when you were introduced. They weren't a prominent family so are very rarely mentioned and the Miller's moved away not long after the Fell's Church incident."

"But surely you're not saying…" she trailed off uncertainly before shaking her head. "No, I'm a California girl, I never even heard of Mystic Falls until my dad was transferred."

Stefan smiled at her. "I'm not saying you are, just your last name reminded me of them."

"Right." She replied with a frown, turning to face the front.

The discussion continued on around her but Mackenzie didn't hear anything until the bell rang and Mr. Saltzman was calling her up to the front.

"I know this is a lot to handle." He told her. "But I'm sure you'll be caught up in no time. As one new person in town to the next, I just want to warn you to be careful."

She cocked her head to the side. "Careful of what?"

"People have gone missing around here." He mysteriously told her before smiling. "If you need help getting caught up, let me know."

He turned away, ending the conversation and leaving behind a really confused new girl. Mackenzie only shrugged, leaving and pulling out her class schedule to figure out where to go next. As she turned down another hallway she stopped, her mouth dropping at seeing a flyer there and finally she saw a glimmer of hope returning.

"Are you coming to try out?"

Mackenzie turned her head to look at the newcomer, a perky blonde who looked like she belonged on the cheerleading squad.

"Yes." She all but yelled. "This is like, meant to be or something. I move here and there's tryouts?"

"You were a cheerleader?"

"Am. I'm Mackenzie Miller, but really call me Kenzie, it's easier, you're a cheerleader aren't you? I have great cheerdar."

The blonde smiled. "Yes, I am. I'm Caroline Forbes. Welcome to Mystic Falls, I'll see you after school, okay?"

Kenzie nodded as the blonde walked away and she smiled, turning back to the flyer. Finally, something was looking up.

… … …

"So you girls want to be cheerleaders?" Caroline asked to the gathered hopefuls on the field. "Cheerleading isn't easy, it's hard work not just during practices and games but every day at school and in the community. We are ambassadors, we represent the school and we must always remember that."

Kenzie nodded, she completely understood that, it was what cheerleading was all about.

"But first you need to show you can be a cheerleader. Can you do a standing back tuck and a perfect left herkie?"

Caroline split all the girls up into groups of three and had them go through the moves. Kenzie was in the last group and knew she nailed it perfectly. Caroline even shot her a grin of approval before conferring with the other squad members and starting to cut people one by one as she led them all through more combinations.

Finally it was down to three girls and Kenzie was the last to go, finishing her combination off with a split, her hands raised in a V.

"Awesome." Caroline squealed. "That's all for now ladies. We'll post up the results tomorrow morning. Kenzie, can I speak with you?"

The red head grabbed her stuff and walked up to Caroline.

"I just want to tell you, the whole posting thing is more of a formality, you were incredible."

"Really?" Kenzie asked, "Oh my god, thanks, best news I've heard since I was told I was moving here."

"Oh it's not so bad here." Caroline told her, "especially if you have this." She handed Kenzie a piece of paper and the new girl took it and opened it up, her face breaking out into a grin at the invite.

"A party?"

"Yes." Caroline cried. "Tonight and since you're going to be part of the squad, it's better to get you situated in the in crowd now. Will you come?"

"Obviously."

"Great, I'll pick you up so you don't get lost, okay?"

Kenzie smiled and nodded, grabbing her stuff to head home so she could get ready for the party.

Hours later, she was adding the finishing touches to her outfit. Since it was in the woods, she had opted for jeans and sweater since it was cooling down at night and she was really missing the warm California weather.

"Dad, I'm going out." She yelled out to him as the doorbell rang.

"Where?" He yelled back from the kitchen.

"Friends I just met, I'll be back later." Not waiting for an answer, she opened the door and smiled at Caroline who held out a box for her.

"Present." The blonde squealed.

Kenzie's eyes lit up as she ripped the top of the box off and let out her own squeal at the pompoms sitting on top, she pulled them out to see the uniform underneath.

"maroon?" She asked with a fake pout, "But it clashes with my hair."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Well, I'll put in a request to change our school colors tomorrow to suit you, are you ready?"

Kenzie laughed as she took the box and placed it on a nearby table, following the other girl out to her car. "Don't worry I can make it work, I can make most anything work."

"That's what I like to hear. Everyone is like so excited to meet you."

"Really?" She asked, getting in the car

"Totally. A new girl, who is already a cheerleader, so naturally everyone wants to meet her."

Kenzie grinned. "Awesome, I love meeting new people and hopefully it will get my mind off my ex."

"Ex? Oh no, what happened?"

"I moved here." She muttered before shaking her head. "I'm sure I would've dumped him eventually but it was far too quick, I wasn't even bored yet. But hey, I'm already a cheerleader, so it's not all bad."

"Was your old squad any good?" Caroline asked, pulling into a parking lot.

"State champs three years running, I would have made it a fourth this year." Kenzie proudly responded.

"No way." The blonde gasped. "Oh my god, maybe we actually have a chance this year as long as you don't take my captain position."

"Nah, you can have it for now." Kenzie replied with a laugh.

The girls got out and made their way into the woods, waving at Elena as she spotted them and walked over to them.

"Elena, are you sure you don't want back on the squad? Kenzie is a state champ, we might have a shot this year."

"Really?" Elena questioned.

The redhead nodded with a big grin.

"that's awesome but not really my thing anymore." The brunette smiled. "Have you had a chance to meet many people yet?"

Kenzie shook her head.

"You need to meet Bonnie, Matt, my brother Jeremy and I should properly introduce you to Stefan." She looked past the two girls with a small frown. "Speaking of which, I got to go, I'll catch up with you later."

She pushed past them and Kenzie turned a puzzled look on Caroline who only shrugged. "Elena has been through… a lot. Her parents died at the beginning of summer in a car accident. She was in the car too."

"Oh." Was all Kenzie said as she looked after Elena, trying not to let her mind wander to her own thoughts and experiences.

"She's become totally withdrawn. Did you want a drink? I'll get us some drinks."

Caroline bounded off and Kenzie was left to look around feeling almost awkward at standing alone. After a few minutes, she began to fidget and look around for Caroline who she noticed was talking to a blonde guy. She sighed and contemplated going over to her when she spied two figures watching the party from the shadows. Something made her watch them and when they both turned away and left, she glanced around again, noticing no one paying attention and slipped away from the party. She followed them out of the woods and into the middle of town which, if she remembered was called Mystic square. She stopped briefly to see where they went and finally spotted them way ahead now. She moved to follow but stopped again when she saw something on the ground. She bent over to pick it up, seeing it was a cellphone and when she looked up, the two figures were gone. Shrugging she put it in her pocket, thinking someone would eventually call, looking for it.

Now she looked around and sat on a bench, contemplating whether she should return to the party or not when Caroline came walking through the square, crying.

"Caroline?" She called out, causing the blonde to turn to her in surprise.

"Kenzie? What are you doing here? I thought you were at the party."

The red head shrugged. "Decided to look around while waiting for my drink."

"OH my god, I'm so sorry, it's just, I ran into Matt and well, I don't know, I really like him but it's like he's embarrassed of me."

"Why would he be embarrassed of you?"

The blondes cheeks flushed. "People think I'm kind of a ditz."

"I don't think you are." Kenzie softly told her.

"You don't know me well enough plus you're biased as a cheerleader."

"Look, you are a cheerleader, therefore any guy would be lucky to have you."

"Also, I'm not Elena, him and Elena were an item." Caroline sighed and sat down beside her new friend. "Everyone loves Elena, they all think she's just so amazing."

"I'm sure you are too though."

Her pocket buzzed and Kenzie looked momentarily confused before she remembered that she had someones cell phone in her pocket. She pulled it out to see a message on it.

_Meet me on the south side of the school._

"You look confused." Caroline noted.

Kenzie shrugged. "No, I'm fine."

Caroline sighed. "I should go back and get my car, go home and sleep. I'll talk to you tomorrow, I'm glad I met you Kenzie."

The redhead smiled back and waited for the other girl to leave before making her way over to the school. When she got there, nobody was there but she couldn't help the feeling that she was being watched. She tried calling the number that txted her but it was shut off and there was no voicemail attached. Who didn't have voicemail nowadays, seriously?

The feeling of being watched was really beginning to bug her and she left in a rush. If the guy wanted his phone back, he could come get it from her, in daylight, with a lot of people around. Like she should've told him in the first place, maybe then she could've left with Caroline and gotten a ride home and not be stuck walking around in some creepy little town that she really didn't want to be in.

Finally, she got home and was about to go inside when she noticed a piece of paper on the mat in front of her door. Kenzie kneeled down to pick it up, frowning at what was only a partial piece of paper and as she skimmed through it, she saw it spoke of the towns founding families moving to Mystic Falls and she clearly saw the name Miller amongst them . She glanced around to see if anyone was there, why would someone had dropped this off at her house. Was the whole school meeting a ploy so someone could drop it off here? Was it Elena's boyfriend? He had spoken of another not widely known Founding family but it was just a tad too coincidental that they shared the last name as her.

"Kenzie." Someone called her name and she turned around to see Elena waving at her, Stefan right behind her.

"Hey." She called, putting her hands behind her back so the other girl didn't ask about the paper she had just found.

"I didn't realize you lived down the road from me."

"Do I?" Kenzie asked with a small shrug. "I haven't had a chance to meet anyone yet."

"Are you okay? " Stefan asked, as they moved closer to her. "You look a little flushed."

"I'm fine." Was her short reply. Was he trying to figure out if she had seen the letter that he probably had left?

The door opened behind her. "Mac?" her father called, having heard her on the porch.

"Don't call me that." She replied through gritted teeth.

"Hi, you must be Mr. Miller." Stefan stepped forward, holding out a hand to her dad who stepped forward and shook it.

"Yes, I am. Are you some of Kenzie's new friends?"

Elena nodded with a smile. "I was just about to extend an invitation since you guys are new to the neighborhood, why don't you come for dinner tomorrow, my aunt is having a dinner party."

"Well, that's very kind of you…."

"Elena Gilbert." The brunette replied. "This is my boyfriend Stefan."

"If it's not too much trouble, that would be wonderful. We could use a home cooked meal, we're not much for cooking."

"I'll let her know." Elena replied.

"Kenzie, not too much longer, okay?"

She nodded as her dad went back inside and she was left alone with other two teens, staring suspiciously at them.

"You left the party awfully early, didn't you?"

"The same could be said for you." Stefan replied with a small smile.

Kenzie shrugged. "I still don't know many people, so I decided to call it a night."

"I'm sorry." Elena said, "If I knew, I would have hung out with you."

"No biggie, well you heard my dad, I should go inside." Not waiting for a reply, she backed into the house.

"She's hiding something." Stefan observed.

"What makes you say that?" Elena asked him.

"Something behind her back she didn't want us to see."

Elena shrugged. "I doubt it's anything bad, I mean, she's not supernatural or anything, is she?"

Stefan shook his head. "Not that I could tell, maybe Bonnie would know."

Elena looked back at the house. "I don't think we should do anything if she's not a danger to anyone. Maybe she's just lonely. She's in a new town, new school and from when we talked earlier, she seems to be struggling with it. I'll talk to her tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll trust you." Stefan relented, leaning forwards to kiss her nose.

… … …


	3. Stay Away From Me

Disclaimer: See prologue

_Separate yourself from what compels you to relinquish us_   
_Push your way on to me, entirely_   
_Stay away from me,_

… … …

The next evening, Kenzie and her dad, Darren were standing on the front porch of the Gilbert house, a bottle of wine in her dad's hands as she stood there with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Stop scowling." He warned her.

"Why couldn't I have stayed home?" She muttered.

"Because I'm tired of you moping." He replied as the door opened and Elena stood there with a smile on her face.

"Hey, thank you for coming, Aunt Jenna's just in the kitchen. I'll take you there Mr. Miller. Kenzie we can talk in the living room if you want to head there."

Kenzie shrugged and moved into the living room and sat down, waiting for Elena to come back and join her. When she did, she sat down beside her on the couch with a smile.

"I talked to Alaric today."

"Who?"

"Oh, right, Mr. Saltzman, he's kind of seeing my aunt. But he told me he was being all mysterious with you about the disappearances. I just wanted to make sure you weren't too freaked out."

Kenzie brushed some hair back, not noticing that Elena followed her hand, frowning at it. "No, not really, I mean, it was a bit weird."

"That's an interesting ring." Elena observed.

Kenzie held out her hand, smiling down at the simple silver ring she had put on after her dream. "Thanks my dad gave it to me a couple years ago for my 16th birthday. He says it's a family heirloom."

"Do you know what kind of stone it is?"

She shrugged. "A pretty blue one? I'm sure he told me before but I never remember these things."

"A couple years ago? I thought you were a Junior."

"I am." She replied, not elaborating.

"My friend Bonnie might be able to tell you more about your ring."

"How?" Kenzie asked. "And why?"

"Oh, she's um, very good with history type stuff, we can always show her. In fact I'm seeing her tonight if you want me to give it to her."

"It really doesn't bug me, I like it because it's pretty."

"Oh, okay then." Elena hesitantly replied, seemingly bugged by her answers. "Anyways, I know Alaric was all mysterious, then Stefan before that in history class, this town just has a huge obsession with founding families and if they think they found someone who could've been, well I'm sure they'll be a huge party."

"I'm not from a founding family." Kenzie told her.

"Doesn't hurt to check. Stranger things have happened in this town you know. I could lend you one of my ancestors journal, maybe you could research some names from there."

The redhead sighed, it wasn't something she would normally do but maybe it would shed some light into that letter she received yesterday. "Ok, I guess, why not?"

"great, I'll give that to you before you leave."

"Yay." Came her unenthusiastic reply. "So why did you quit the squad?"

"I fell way behind and just lost the passion I had for it."

"Because of your parents." Kenzie's jaw dropped open. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Caroline mentioned it yesterday. I'm sorry, the same thing happened to my mom and sister a couple years ago."

Elena looked surprised. "You lost your mom and sister in a car accident too?"

The redhead nodded. "Yeah, they were on their way to pick me up from dance and they never made it. That's why I'm only a junior, I should be a senior but I had to repeat my sophomore year because I didn't deal too well."

"Neither did I, I barely finished last year. My parents had just picked me up from a party and they drove off a bridge with me in the car. I was saved but they weren't so lucky."

Both girls grew silent as they reflected on their past and the pain they were both feeling.

"Well, now that we totally depressed ourselves, maybe we should go see how dinner is." Kenzie suggested, not wanting to think about her mom or her sister anymore. She hated thinking about them and tried not to if she could help it.

"Don't bother, Jenna is just finishing up."

"Mr. Saltzman? You didn't tell me I was having dinner with a teacher." Kenzie shot an accusatory look at Elena who smiled and shrugged.

"Sorry, he's just usually here, so I don't really think of it."

"I promise Mackenzie, I'm not going to sit here and drill you on class." Alaric promised, sitting down in a chair across from them. "Although I do have something for you to do for class, Mackenzie."

Kenzie shot a look at Elena before looking back at her teacher. "Extra credit already?"

"Just so you can catch up on the history of the town." He told her. "You're going to be writing a paper on the history of Mystic Falls and its-"

"Don't tell me." Kenzie interrupted. "Its founding families."

"That whole topic does come up a lot, doesn't it?"

"Just a smidge." She sarcastically replied. "Truth is, I have a note from my doctor that says no term papers."

He grinned at her, liking his new sarcastic student. "Sorry, but California Doctor Notes don't work in this state."

"Darn. Fine, Perhaps I'll do it on the Millers since everyone is so damn sure I'm related to them."

"Do you think you are?"

"No." She replied.

"Stranger things have happened." Alaric told her.

"Dinner's ready." A voice called.

Kenzie shrugged at her teacher before following Elena into the dining room.

… … …

The next morning, Kenzie was out jogging, for once not minding the cool air as she pushed herself hard. She liked running, and she liked being the best so was always pushing herself as hard as possible.

Dinner last night hadn't been so bad. Kenzie was kind of quiet, letting the adults talk. She was glad her dad had at least made some friends and when it was over, Elena had received a call and asked if she wanted to come with her to meet up with Stefan, but she declined, instead choosing to go home with her dad. She couldn't help the feeling that Elena only asked her out of politeness and she had rushed out of there rather quickly, Alaric following not too long after. So she had gone home, skyped with her friends from her old home and was left feeling even more homesick. When she woke up she decided to go for a run to take her mind off everything.

"You, you're new here."

Kenzie glanced over before doing a double take, slowing down to a walk. The guy in the blue car staring at her with the black hair and the blue eyes was super hot and somehow super familiar. Like the same familiarity she had when she first met Elena.

"Keep tabs on every single person in town?" She asked with a small flirtatious smile.

"Something like that." He replied with a smirk,

"creepy much?" She walked over to the car, peering through the window at him.

"no, just smart, actually. You're Elena's new little friend aren't you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe and anytime you want to tell me who you are so you don't seem so creepy would be lovely."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, you're a little snarky, I kind of like that, until it pisses me off, then bad things happen."

"Still waiting." She sang.

"Damon Salvatore." He held out a hand to shake and she accepted, letting out a small cry of surprise as he moved with almost lightning fast speed, pulling her closer and staring down at the ring on her hand.

"Interesting ring you got there." He noted.

"So I've been told." She replied with gritted teeth, trying unsuccessfully to pull her hand away. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" He asked.

"Move so fast and can I have my hand back?"

"No." he simply replied. "Not until you tell me where you got the ring from."

"my dad gave it to me for my 16th birthday, you creeper."

"Where did _he_ get it from?"

"It's been in my family for generations. What the hell is your trauma?"

"Do you even know what this is?" His questions came rapidly and Kenzie was getting frustrated that she still couldn't pull away from him.

"It's a frickin ring, let me go."

He pulled her closer, forcing her to look into his eyes. "You will forget having met me today, you will forget about the questions about your ring and you will remember that you finished your run at record pace."

He let her go and Kenzie stared at him, her mouth dropped open in shock. She gave her head a small shake as she straightened up and took a few steps back.

"Seriously, what kind of drugs are you on? You can't just tell me to forget something."

She turned away to finish the run to her house, letting out a small scream as Damon appeared in front of her, she glanced back at the car, the door wide open then him again. He put a hand over her mouth, shutting her up and pushed her back towards the car, throwing her into the passenger seat before he got in himself. Kenzie grabbed the handle of the passenger side about to throw herself out of the car when he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"What are you doing? Let me go." She yelled at him, hitting his arm.

"Not until we figure out who the hell you are." He told her as he sped away.

"What?" She asked in disbelief. "I told you already. Ask Elena or Stefan or Caroline, they've met me."

"That's not what I mean and you know it."

"No I don't. Seriously, let me go and I won't call the police."

"Please." He said with a small smirk. "As if they would believe you over me. They love me."

"What do you want from me?" She asked, trying to keep the hysterics out of her voice.

"To figure out who you are and why you're here."

How many times do I have to tell you?" She snapped. "My name is Mackenzie Miller and I'm here because my dad was transferred here."

"Then why do you have that ring? Do you have vervain on you?"

"Ver what now?"

"You know this cute little innocent act you got going on? Starting to really bug me. If not for Elena, I'd probably have killed you by now."

"You sick sadistic son of a bitch, let me go right now."

He pulled into the driveway of a large old house, turning off the car and getting out. Kenzie threw the door open to make a run for it but he was already there, grabbing hold of her arm and dragging her into the house.

"Oh Stefan," He called. "I found one of your little friends."

She continued to struggle but to no avail when Stefan appeared in the hallway, sighing at what he saw.

"Damon, what are you doing?"

"Found this one out running. Have you seen the ring she has on her or the fact that you can't compel her. She's really good at playing human, how old do you think this one is?"

"Playing human? Seriously, what the fuck are you talking about?" Kenzie's brave front was starting to crumble.

"Maybe older than Katherine, what do you think?" Damon asked, ignoring the little redhead's words.

"Maybe she's drinking vervain?" Stefan suggested. "Maybe Elena slipped her some last night."

"Slipped who what?" Elena asked, appearing behind Stefan, fresh out of the shower. She stopped at seeing Damon there, a firm grasp on Kenzie, who looked completely freaked out.

"Damon." Elena cried. "Let her go."

"No." Damon replied. "Did you give her vervain last night?"

"What? No."

"Hm, perhaps I should test her out, see if there's any in her blood."

"My blood?" Kenzie screeched, beginning to struggle more.

"Stop." Elena cried, stepping closer to them. "Damon, what is going on?"

"I can't compel her. She has a ring like ours so I'm thinking Vampire, one who is way too good at playing human. Didn't even try too hard to get away and acting completely like she has no clue what's going on."

"Just let her go, okay?" Elena begged him.

Damon rolled his eyes but finally complied and Kenzie stepped away, rubbing her wrists, trying not to hyperventilate as her old friend, sarcasm returned to her.

"Yes, I'm a Vampire and I'm going to suck the blood from all of you because I'm super hungry. Seriously, what kind of fairytale land are you people living in? Vampires? Don't exist. So take your whackjob delusions elsewhere and let me go."

"Can we see your ring then?" Stefan quietly asked.

"Stefan." Elena cried. "You can't seriously believe Damon."

"No but this will clear the whole mess up quickly enough."

Kenzie glared at them all before pulling off her ring and dropping it into Stefan's outstretched hand. Before she could blink, she was flying out the front door, landing on her backside just outside of the house. The air was knocked out of her and she gasped for air as one arm went up to block out the sun that was now shining down on her.

"Kenzie." Elena yelled, rushing out the door towards her.

She helped the new girl stand and quickly brushed the debris off of her yoga pants and sports bra that she was using as a top.

"Guess I was wrong, brother." Damon was saying from the doorway with a smirk.

Kenzie shrugged Elena off and stomped back towards the house, poking Damon in the chest. "Don't you ever lay a finger on me again, you psychotic son of a bitch. You come near me again and I will rip out your intestines and use it as tinsel for my Christmas tree, capice?"

"Don't poke me." He growled.

"Then don't kidnap me, accuse me of impossible things, then throw me out of your house in an attempt to prove these impossible things. Vampires don't exist you nimrod and everyone knows that if they did exist, they wouldn't be able to walk in the daylight so get your facts straight." She punctuated her last point with another poke to the chest, earning another growl from him.

"I'm going to hurt your friend, Elena." Damon threatened.

"You've done enough, Damon." The brunette told him, "Come on Kenzie, I'll drive you home."

The petite redhead held out a hand to Stefan, not once breaking eye contact with his brother as she waited for him to return her ring. When he did, with a murmured apology, to which she ignored, she put it back on her finger and stepped away with one last glare.

"remember what I said." She warned him.

"You don't scare me little girl." Damon called after them with a smirk.

"Yet." She muttered, not realizing just how well the brothers could hear her.

Damon couldn't help but smirk though at the retreating girls backs. "I should kill her for poking me but her fun imagery filled threats are kinda piquing my interest."

Stefan glared at him before going back into the house.

"I'm so sorry, Kenzie." Elena told her once they were well on the way back to her place.

The red head looked over at her. "Seriously? That dude needs a mental ward. What the hell is everyone's issue with me and my ring and this vampire mess? What the hell Elena? Is everyone here a bunch of whack jobs?"

"Not everyone." Elena weakly replied. "Look, Kenzie, there's a lot of things going on with Mystic Falls, some that are a little hard to believe."

The new girl turned to glare at the brunette. "I swear, if you tell me that the whole psychotic thing that those guys were ranting about were true, I'm gonna throw myself out of this stupid car, right now."

Elena nervously chewed her lip before seemingly coming to a decision. "I won't tell you that. There's just been a lot of crazy things going on and people are on edge. I'm sorry for what Damon did and I'm sorry if he scared you." She pulled up outside of Kenzie's house who pushed open the door to the car and got out, turning to poke her head back into the car.

"I don't want your apology. I want Damon to stay the hell away from me and if you or Stefan decide to get all wacky and crazy, then you can stay far, far away from me too." She slammed the car door, walking into her house.

… … …


	4. Mary Jane's Last Dance

Disclaimer: See prologue

...

_Well, I don't know what I've been told,  
_

_You never slow down, you never grow old,  
_

_Tired of screwin' up, tired of goin' down  
_

_Tired of myself, tired of this town  
_

... ... ...

Kenzie walked into school that day and made a beeline for her locker, grabbing her books before turning and spying Elena at her locker with a girl she hadn't seen yet.

"Where's Bonnie?" She demanded to know as she stopped in front of them.

"I'm Bonnie." The other girl said, looking confused.

"Really? I'm Kenzie," She pulled the ring off her finger, dropping it into Bonnie's hand who looked down at it before glancing at Elena then back at Kenzie, a confused smile on her face.

"Kenzie? New cheerleader Kenzie? I missed your tryout but I heard it was awesome."

"Of course, I'm the one who led my last squad to state champions."

The other 2 girls looked at each other before Bonnie finally nodded, motioning to the ring in her hand "Is there a reason you gave this to me?"

"Yes, everyone is so damn obsessed with that stupid ring and Elena so kindly pointed out that you can research more about it. So have at it."

She abruptly turned and left for her first class, deciding to put the whole idea out of her mind for the time being. She didn't see Bonnie and Elena again until science but did her best to ignore them while the teacher instructed them on the experiment they were to do that day. When he called everyone to get their supplies, Kenzie's lab partner went to go get them and Kenzie looked over her notes. Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye and when she turned to look, she saw Elena kneeling down beside her bag.

"What are you doing?" She hissed.

Elena looked up in surprise, her face heating up. "I um, dropped my pencil," She held it up. "here it is."

Kenzie watched suspiciously as she backed away holding the pencil up, one hand behind her back. She finally turned back to the front, thinking nothing of it. Really what could Elena have been doing?

… … …

After cheerleading practice, Kenzie was rooting through her bag, cursing because she couldn't find her hair brush. She was so sure it was in her bag, she had used it before class this morning. At least she thought it was this morning, maybe she was getting her days mixed up or something.

"What's wrong?" Caroline asked, coming up behind her, already done getting ready.

"I can't find my brush and my hair's gonna look like a rats nest when it dries." She replied with a small pout.

"Here, use mine." The blonde held out her brush and Kenzie gratefully took it with a smile, taking her towel off her head and running a brush through her wet curls.

"So I overheard Bonnie and Elena talking earlier, I didn't hear much but I heard them mention your name and Damon's together."

Kenzie pulled a face at that. "You know him too? What a complete and utter asshole." She contemplated mentioning what had transpired that morning but just thinking about it made her sound absolutely crazy even in her own head and who would anyone believe? Elena or the new girl.

She almost missed the look of relief flutter across Caroline's face but she caught it and turned to look at the other girl better.

"That's good you feel that way. I dated him for a while and he was a complete and utter asshole, I wouldn't recommend getting caught up in him."

"As if." She replied with a huff, handing the brush back. "Thanks for letting me use it."

"No problem. I'm supposed to go meet Matt, so I'll see you later."

With a small wave, the perky blonde left and Kenzie added some product to her hair to keep her curls tamed before gathering her stuff up and leaving the locker room, noticing she was the last one to leave.

She was well on her way home, wrinkling her nose as she tried to shake the feeling she was being watched. She glanced around her, seeing no one was there and continued on her way, trying to ignore it but it only grew and she glanced around again, first looking to the left, then the right. She shrugged and went to continue walking when she stopped, letting out a small eep of surprise before she scowled.

"Will you stop doing that?" She snapped.

Damon smirked. "But it's oh so much fun."

"I told Elena to tell you to stay the hell away from me."

He rolled his eyes. "And I don't do what Elena tells me to. Hell, I don't do anything anyone tells me to, I'm my own man."

"Leave me alone." She hissed.

"aw, I feel like we got off on the wrong foot Mackenzie, let me make it up to you."

"Sure, how about you do that by leaving me alone."

He took a step towards her and she couldn't help but step back, inwardly cursing as she did so.

"Personal space much?" She griped.

"I just want to see your pretty little ring again, it's just so fascinating."

She rolled her eyes before looking to see if there were any cars coming and crossing the street, letting out a small sigh of annoyance at seeing he was still following her.

"No." she simply replied.

He moved so he was standing in front of her again. "Not many people say no to me." He warned her.

"I just did and I'd gladly do it again, besides, I don't have it anymore, so piss off."

He only grinned. "You know, I can't figure out why I haven't killed you yet but something about you just makes me want to hold off a little bit longer."

"Enough for me to call the police?"

"Again, they wouldn't believe you."

"I'm willing to risk it." Came her scathing reply.

"So where is it?"

"Bonnie has it. Elena says she could figure out more about it."

"You gave it to the witch?"

She glared at him. "Really, should you of all people be calling someone names?"

Another smirk. "I'm really not, I can't believe you're still not believing all this."

"Believe what?" She turned on him, her fists now clenched in anger.

"Hey, are you okay?"

The two turned to see a teenager a bit younger than Kenzie running towards them. She smiled at him while Damon rolled his eyes.

"we're fine, now leave."

"Better yet, how about I leave?" The redhead asked, moving away from the annoying Damon and towards the new guy.

"Don't worry about him." The new guy told her, "he's just… intense."

"Or rather, super rude, annoying, pain in the ass." She looked behind her to see Damon still standing there with a smirk. "I'm Kenzie."

"I know." The guy replied. "You were at my place for dinner but I was busy with some things. I'm Jeremy."

"Elena's brother?" She guessed as she continued her walk home, him beside her.

"Yup, I was hoping to run into you eventually."

"Me? Why?"

He smiled at her. "My sister said you were interested in the town's history and that she was giving you an ancestor's journal. I recently became interested in the history so wanted to offer you some help and maybe exchange any information either of us come across."

She shrugged. "Sure, everyone's just been pushing the whole missing Miller family and thinking maybe I'm the lost link that it's all a little crazy. I mean, this paper Mr. Saltzman wants me to write? It's for me and me alone because it's important I learn about this town.

He gave her a small smile. "It would probably be something big If another founding family has returned to Mystic Falls. Besides that, how are you liking it here so far."

Kenzie shrugged, gracing him with a small smile. "It's okay I guess, besides the extremely creepy guy following me and being all creepy like."

They stopped in front of her house and Jeremy put his hands in his pockets with a small shrug. "Just be careful and my word of advice, don't walk alone after dark."

"I didn't think there was a high crime rate here. I mean, I'm from LA, there's a lot of sketchy places there."

"There's just been a lot of disappearances here lately."

"Great city choice here, Dad." She mumbled to herself.

"It's usually not so bad, I promise. Just be careful and I'll see you around."

He left and Kenzie watched him go before rushing into her house and closing the door. The disappearances struck something in her and she rushed upstairs pulling out the paper that had been left at her door a few nights ago and the diary Elena had given her before leaving her house after dinner. She opened the book, frowning when she saw the first page was missing but looking at the sheet of paper she held, she realized it fit in there and she couldn't help but think Stefan had something to do with it again. Why else would she get a missing page the day before she received the book it came from? She sat down on her bed, curled up against the headboard and began to read.

Hours later, her doorbell rang and she jumped, sending the book flying as she clutched at her heart with wide eyes, willing her racing heart to calm down. After a few moments, it finally started settling down when her doorbell rang again. She ran out of her bedroom and down the stairs, stopping in front of the door as she looked around for a weapon. All she could see was an umbrella but she still picked it up, moving to the door and opening it up a crack, sighing in relief when she saw it was Elena and Bonnie before stopping again when she remembered what she had read earlier.

"What do you want?" She cautiously asked.

"Can we talk to you?" Elena pleaded with her. "Please? It's important."

She paused momentarily, contemplating what to do before she finally stepped back and opened the door wider, not inviting them in but waiting for them to enter of their own volition. They glanced at each other but entered, following a relieved looking Kenzie into the living room.

"I should give this back to you." Elena hesitantly said, holding up her hairbrush.

Kenzie's jaw dropped before reaching over and snatching it out of the taller girls hand. "What are you doing with my hairbrush?"

"I took it, during science, we needed your hair."

"Please don't get mad at Elena. I asked her too and she feels awful which is why we're here." Bonnie explained. "I need to tell you something but you have to swear to never tell a soul."

"You're a witch." Kenzie dully replied.

The other two girls exchanged another look.

"How do you know that?" Bonnie asked.

"That journal you gave me was really informative." Kenzie quietly replied.

Bonnie looked at Elena who looked completely puzzled. "There was nothing on that in the book I gave you, I made sure of that. Can I see that journal?"

Kenzie nodded before rushing upstairs to grab the journal and returning to the girls handing it to Elena. She took it, looking through it, a frown of puzzlement filling her features.

"This isn't the journal I gave you."

"What are you talking about? That's what you gave me, I took it off my desk when I got home and have been reading it since."

"But this isn't the one I gave you." Elena whispered, looking up at Bonnie with panic in her eyes. "I've never seen this one before in my life."

Bonnie moved over to look at it over her shoulder.

"I need to call Stefan." Elena handed her the book and moved off into the kitchen to call. Bonnie glanced through the book before looking up at Kenzie.

"I know this is a lot to deal with but please, you can't tell anyone about me or-or about any of this really."

"Like anyone would believe me? I don't even believe me." Kenzie shot back.

"Believe it, it's real." Bonnie whispered.

Her doorbell rang again and with a slight shake of her head, Kenzie went to answer it, raising an eyebrow at seeing Stefan and Damon there.

"Hi Kenzie, Elena called me, can I come in?" Stefan asked with a smile.

The redhead only raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "I don't know, can you?"

"Oh, so now you believe it?" Damon asked. "Do you finally understand what we are?"

"Are you going to kill me?" She asked.

"No." Stefan assured her.

"Maybe." Damon said at the same time. "At least not yet. For some reason that I have yet to figure out why, you amuse me."

"Gee, I feel so blessed."

"So about letting us in…" Damon began.

"Do you really think I'm going to let you in?" Kenzie asked. "So what you're telling was the truth, fine, that still doesn't change the fact that you're completely insane."

"Stefan is here to help." Elena told her. "You can invite him in."

"And the psychopath?"

"You calling me names is only turning me on." Damon told her, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Stefan, you can come in."

The taller brother stepped through the doorway and moved to talk to the other two girls, leaving Kenzie and Damon alone.

"Very mature." He told her.

She shrugged. "right, because most people let someone in that's threatened to kill them how much now?"

"You can only resist my charms for so long." He told her.

"What charms?" she asked with a humorless laugh.

"You think I don't know you already find me completely irresistible?"

Kenzie stepped towards him without thinking as she sent him a glare. "You repulse me."

Damon smirked, also stepping forward. "I don't think I do. I bet you want me to grab you and kiss you senseless right now."

"What don't you get?" she asked, stepping forward again to poke him in the chest. The next thing she knew, she was on her porch facing her doorway, trying to figure out how she got there, then Stefan appeared and too fast for her eye to see, he was standing in front of her and Damon was sailing off the porch and into the yard while she was pushed sideways landing on her side

She landed heavily and was back up in a flash, ready to do something, anything to make Damon hurt. Stefan grabbed her, not wanting her to get hurt.

"I'm gonna kill you." She screeched.

"already dead." Damon called and she could hear the smugness in his voice.

"Okay, I'm trying my damndest not to freak out right now. Why did he try and bite me?"

"To see if you had vervain in your system." Damon said from the lawn, clutching his head as Bonnie stood on the porch glaring down at him.

"That's the thing that stops the mind thingy right?" Kenzie asked, having read about it in the journal.

"Yes." Stefan confirmed with a small smile at her wording.

"and biting me was the only way to find out?"

"Yes." Damon petulantly replied just as his brother said no.

"Well you wouldn't have liked the taste of me." She shot back, sounding just as petulant.

Damon grinned at her before turning to Bonnie. "So why can't she be compelled?"

"Why do you think Elena and I are here?" Bonnie snapped.

"Thanks, for saving me." Kenzie quietly told Stefan who gave her a small smile in return.

"I'm sorry my brother scared you."

Her eyes flared up in anger "Not as sorry as he's gonna be when I get through with him."

"And what are you gonna do about it, Redbird?" Damon asked with a smirk. "Cheerlead me to death?"

She stood up, ready to stomp over and punch him or do something to make him hurt when Stefan wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into the house.

"You can't go against my brother." He told her.

"Oh but I will."

"What he did today was nothing compared to what he is capable of."

Kenzie stopped and scowled at him. "So he's going to just get away with almost biting me?"

"I'll deal with him." Stefan promised.

"You wish." They all heard Damon yell from the yard.

Kenzie just shook her head, it was still spinning from all the information she had received and wanted nothing more than to be alone.

"Can everyone please just leave? I need to be alone."

"But Kenzie-"

"Please?" She interrupted Elena.

It was silent before finally they all murmured their goodbyes leaving Kenzie huddled up in her living room, trying to wrap her mind around everything.

Minutes later, her doorbell was ringing and she ignored it but whomever it was, was persistent and she groaned as she stood up and answered it.

"Did one of you forget something?" She asked.

The next thing she was aware of, she was on her front lawn screaming. There was pain in her neck and a wrist was being held to her mouth. Her eyes widened as she struggled against it but to no avail, whomever was holding her was far too strong. She had no choice but to open her mouth and let the metallic tasting liquid fill it. Finally the person let her go and she pulled away, scooting back across the grass from whomever had her.

"What the hell?" she screeched.

"Look, it wasn't-"

"Like hell it wasn't. Were you waiting for everyone to leave before you tried again?"

"Actually I came back because I heard you screaming."

"I didn't start screaming until you bit me." She snapped.

Damon sighed and rolled his eyes, "I didn't do it, I saved you. You have no idea who was here before me?"

She shook her head, slowly getting to her feet before backing towards her house.

"Then you can be compelled."

"Is that what you did to me?" She asked.

"It wasn't me."

She ran for her front door, slamming it shut and locking both locks as she leaned against it, trying to catch her breath. She pulled out her phone dialing Elena and quickly explained everything that happened to her that she remembered. Elena tried to soothe her, then the girl was gone and replaced by a male voice.

"I'll deal with him but I don't think it was my brother who did it." Stefan told her.

"What? Hello, big gaping wound in my neck, blood in my mouth."

"If he bit you, he wouldn't have fed you his blood and he wouldn't have tried to hide it. I know my brother, trust me he wouldn't have."

"Then who was it?" She asked.

Stefan sighed. "I think there might be a new vampire around who can't really control themselves. Just try and get some sleep and don't open the door for anyone."

"Like I would." She muttered before saying her goodbyes and turning off her phone, dragging her weary body up to her bed.

…. … …


	5. Losing My Religion

... ... ...

_That's me in the corner_   
_That's me in the spotlight, I'm_   
_Losing my religion_   
_Trying to keep up with you_   
_And I don't know if I can do it_   
_Oh no, I've said too much_   
_I haven't said enough_

"Mackenzie? Can you stay after class please?" Mr. Saltzman asked just as the bell rang.

She sighed but stayed where she was until everyone had left. He joined her, sitting in the chair beside her.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

She turned to look at him suspiciously, wondering just how much he knew.

"I know it all." He answered her unspoken question.

"By all, you mean…?"

"All." He confirmed. "I'm a Vampire Hunter."

"So can you go hunt Damon?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

He chuckled. "Believe me, I want nothing more than to do that."

"Won't hear any complaints from me." She grumbled.

"Look, I just wanted to make sure you were okay and give you something to help protect yourself." He held up a small weapon with a needle at the end of it. "This is a vervain injector, if you're attacked again, inject it with this and it will be weakened long enough for you to get away."

Another raised eyebrow. "That's the best you got? A shot of flowers?"

"For now, our best three weapons are vervain, wooden stakes, and our wits. So I recommend you have some vervain on you at all times."

"Fine." She griped. "Can I leave now?"

"Of course. If you ever need to talk or anything, come find me, okay? I know it's a lot to deal with right now."

"No shit." She muttered before looking up with wide eyes.

He only chuckled at her language. "Considering what you've dealt with, I'll give you a free pass this time."

She thanked him before rushing out of the room.

"How are you doing?" Bonnie asked, who was waiting for her outside the room.

Kenzie looked around before answering. "Well, let's see, somebody bit me last night, I'm told vampires are real, I'm given a weapon by my history teacher and I'm walking beside a witch, how do you think I'm doing?"

She shot her a sympathetic smile. "I really am sorry to drag you into this Kenzie but maybe there was a reason you moved to Mystic Falls."

"There is. My dad was transferred. That's all it is." She argued.

"Is it?" Bonnie asked as they exited the school.

"Yes." She hissed. "I'm going home now."

"Wait." Bonnie called. "I never got a chance to try your ring, I wanted to do that. Let me run home and grab my grimoire then I'll stop by, okay?"

Kenzie agreed and left the witch, walking home in a hurry. But just like the day before, Damon was waiting for her.

"Go away."

"look, I wasn't the one who sucked your blood. I'd love to and I probably will at some point but this time it wasn't me, you need to know that."

Kenzie stopped and looked at him before finally nodding, something telling her that he was telling the truth.

"Thanks, for telling me that." She finally told him.

"I think for once my brother is right and we do have a newcomer."

"I'm still trying to deal with the oldcomers." She told him as she continued walking.

"That means you need to be careful."

"Yes, because I planned to get bitten last night. I sat there after you left going, geez, so sad that Damon didn't bite me, I really hope another Vampire comes along to bite me, wouldn't that be fun?"

"Oh and there's that lovely sarcasm Redbird."

She sent him a quick glare. "What did you call me?"

He grinned as they stopped in front of her house. "I'll see you later Redbird."

She blinked and he was gone, leaving Kenzie to roll her eyes. She reached her house and went inside, making herself a snack while she waited for Bonnie to get there. While waiting for her, she thought of the journal and perhaps she should give it to Jeremy to look at, she had told him she would pass along anything she came across and if the journal she had didn't belong to Elena, chances were Jeremy hadn't seen it yet either.

Her doorbell rang and she let Bonnie in who immediately set up some candles in her living room, pulling Kenzie's ring out and holding it in her palm as she began to chant in a language she didn't recognize. For her part, Kenzie stood back by the entrance to the room, watching warily.

The ring began to glow and Kenzie couldn't stop the gasp from escaping as the ring began levitating. Bonnie continued chanting, her eyes closed as she grew louder. Finally the glow turned blue and Bonnie gasped, opening her eyes as the ring dropped back into her hand.

"What the hell." Kenzie whispered, staring at the witch.

"Told you I was a witch." Bonnie replied with a crooked smile.

"And you figured something out?" Kenzie asked, brave enough to take only a few steps into the room.

"Yes, there is a spell on here that is well over 200 years old and another one that's not quite as old and from what I can gather, the first spell is something along the lines of the spell my ancestors used for Damon and Stefan to walk in the sun."

"How old exactly are they?"

"Think Civil war." Bonnie replied.

Kenzie shook her head in awe. "This, is insane. This is some crazy dream, right? Or- or a trick. Yes, a trick you play on the new kid."

"I wish I could say it was." Bonnie told her. "But it looks like you have some ancestors that used that ring for the exact same reason Stefan uses his."

"I have vampire relatives?"

"Had, more than likely. Especially if that ring has been passed on."

"But you said there was another spell on there right? What kind of spell."

Bonnie looked down at the ring before glancing back up at the redhead. "Honestly, I'm not too sure but I think it has something to do with the reason you can't be compelled while wearing it."

"Like vervain?"

"Maybe but I can't find traces of vervain in it, it's something else completely."

"So that's why someone got me last night?"

Bonnie nodded. "And why Damon had no effect on you while you had it."

"So, can I have it back?" Suddenly the thought of being without the ring scared Kenzie more than she could imagine. She was still trying to wrap herself around what kind of town she had moved into. That her new friends were witches and vampires and if a werewolf showed up anytime soon, there was a good chance she would lose it.

"I know you hate this but is there any way I can hold on to this a bit longer? I just want to try and figure this out."

"And what do I do in the meantime? Become snack food for the vampires. Are you sure this isn't a prank the new kid thing?"

"I won't leave you unprotected, I'll make sure you have vervain, plus you have what Alaric gave you."

"I guess." She grumbled as Bonnie began to pack everything up. "Are you leaving?"

The witch looked up and noticed how panicked Kenzie look and she felt awful for the new girl who had just arrived and was immediately thrust into this world that she was so sure was make believe.

"I'm stopping by Elena's before meeting Caroline for the pageant rehearsal, did you want to come?"

Kenzie was immediately nodding, looking extremely relieved. "I wanted to catch up with Jeremy too. Apparently we both have a common project."

"we're not even in the same grade as him." Bonnie pointed out.

"I know but he's doing extra credit for a class and our topics are alike. Just hold on." She ran upstairs to get the journal and tucked it into her bag before joining Bonnie again, both leaving to walk to Elena's house.

"I should warn you." Bonnie told her as walked. "Things are a bit strained with Elena and myself right now. In fact the day you stopped me with your ring, she was trying to talk to me again and then we decided to put it all aside to deal with you and your stuff."

"Okay." Kenzie hesitantly replied, confused as to why she was being told all this.

"I just wanted to give you a heads up in case you were wondering why things seem tense."

"What happened with you guys?"

Bonnie shrugged, focusing on the ground in front of her as they walked. "There's a lot you need to learn still. About this town, its history. There was a bunch of Vampires buried in the tomb under Fell's church. My grams and I lifted the spell so Damon could go in there for Katherine, who apparently is an exact replica for Elena. It's weird, I know but Katherine wasn't in there and it took a lot out of my Grams and I. She died later at home and she died for nothing. We didn't close the tomb properly and now they're all out."

"And you blame Elena?" she didn't understand. It wasn't Elena who had done any of that.

"No, I blame Stefan and Damon and because she's with Stefan…."

"It makes for awkwardness but honestly, why be mad at Elena because she's with Stefan, then again, that seems like something I would do but I'm sorry about your Grams."

Bonnie gave her a small strained smile as they walked up the steps and rang Elena's doorbell.

"Hey." Elena said with a small smile.

"Hey, I hope you don't mind if I tagged along, is your brother home?"

"Yes, he's upstairs. Jeremy." Elena yelled upstairs. "Kenzie is here to see you." She looked back at the new girl. "I didn't know you knew my brother."

"We spoke briefly. He seems cool."

"He is." Elena confirmed. "Please though, just be careful. His girlfriend died and was just… found. It shook him up a bit."

"Died how?" She whispered, seeing Jeremy coming down the steps.

"The official reports say drug overdose." Elena's tone told her that wasn't the whole story and Kenzie was able to make the connection.

"Does your brother…"

"No, not at all so you can't tell him, please." Elena begged her.

"I won't." Kenzie promised as Jeremy greeted her. She smiled back at him, suddenly realizing she couldn't give him the journal she had, Elena would freak.

"I was just wondering if you found any info on the history paper."

"A few things, why don't you come up to my room?"

She nodded, waving at the girls before following Jeremy upstairs and into his room.

"So what did you find out?" she asked.

"Can I ask you a weird question? Do you believe in vampires?"

She started at the question, before trying to force herself to remain calm. "Vampires? Ask me that yesterday and I'd laugh in your face."

"But something happened." He guessed, causing her to shrug. "I- I need to tell you something. I know we've spoken once but I need someone who isn't anyone that's been here. I read my sisters diary."

"And?" She prompted.

"Her boyfriend is a vampire. His brother is too. Vicky died because of Damon and Stefan then she had Damon erase my memory somehow, by-" He stopped, trying to remember the word.

"Compelling." She offered without thinking before her eyes widened.

"So you do know about this?" He asked in disbelief.

"I just found out, I promise. My ring was the same ring vampires use to walk during the day, they thought I was one, then one bit me. It was all a mistake, really."

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Can you please tell me everything you know?"

Kenzie briefly hesitated but seeing the pleading look on his face, reached into her bag and pulled out the journal, handing it to him. "Someone, I don't know who or when, exchanged this journal for the one your sister gave me and I read everything in here."

"Wow, thanks and now I have something for you." He put the journal on his desk

"What?" she asked.

"Well, after the Miller's left Mystic Falls in the late 1800's, they migrated West before finally settling in California."

"Which still means nothing, Miller is a very common last name."

"That's true but it's a start, want me to keep looking?"

"Sure." She replied as there was a knock on the door before it was opened by Elena.

"Mrs. Lockwood just called and one of the Fell cousins fell ill."

"So?" Jeremy asked her.

"We need another member for the court and Bonnie flat out refused. Can you please step in Kenzie?"

"Court, for what?"

"Miss Mystic Falls pageant."

"Are there no back-ups?" Kenzie asked with a raised brow.

"There is but here's the thing, all the interviews are done, most of the rehearsals are done and the chances of you winning would be slim to none. We just need-"

"A warm body to fill the court?" Kenzie finished for her.

Elena nodded. "I know it's kind of a raw deal but we need someone who is okay with that and can pick up the dance steps fast."

"Dance?"

"There's a dance between them and the escorts."

"Which I don't have." She pointed out before both girls turned to look at Jeremy.

"What?" He said, finally catching on. "No, not going to happen."

"Please?" Elena begged him.

Kenzie shrugged. "I'm in, I can pick it up fast plus I look super cute all dressed up. In fact I have this adorable purple dress for my school's formal I never got to wear. And it would be nice having someone I know." She hinted at Jeremy.

"Not my thing." He told them.

"Please?" Kenzie now begged. "I'll help you more with the project we talked about."

He thought it over for a bit before finally nodding. "Fine, I'll help but only for Kenzie."

"And I'll help only because I love dressing up and everyone should know who I am." Kenzie grinned. "What do I have to do?"

"Come to rehearsal, right now. I'll call Mrs. Lockwood and tell her we have someone to stand in."

Elena left and Kenzie shot Jeremy another smile. "I do love dressing up but I really appreciate you not leaving me alone in front of everyone."

"As long as you keep helping me." He said with a smile. "Shall we go get tortured?"

"Sure."

… … …

"Honor your partner. Stay focus, right hand around. Flirt with your eyes, left hand around." Mrs. Lockwood instructed.

"This is seriously a dance?" Kenzie asked Jeremy as they turned around each other holding a hand up, palms facing each other without touching.

"Both hands." Their instructor called.

"I think I'm regretting agreeing to this."

"It's not so bad." Jeremy said with a small smile. "It gives us a chance to talk. Did you see Mrs. Lockwood light up when we told her you just might be from the Miller line?"

"Thanks for that by the way."

"She looked like she didn't want you here so that helped."

"Again, thanks for that."

"No! No! There's no touching during this part. It's about the simple intimacy of the near touch." Mrs. Lockwood cried as Stefan spun then dipped Elena. The two straightened up and she turned her attention to the other girls. "Very nice, Mackenzie. You have caught on so fast to this and the town will be thrilled to know we have a possible founding member back in our midst."

"This is all your fault." She muttered to Jeremy.

He laughed as they continued dancing.

…. … …


End file.
